The portal began to close behind golden-haired girl.
The flames that had formed it swirled into the air, rather than dissipating as I'd expected them to. The fiery magick was pulled towards the girl, settling in place along her back, erupting into great feathery wings of flame.
As her wings stretched out I realized I had seen this Alaetüs before—when I peered into Ikuye's memories accidentally through a psycho-whatchamacallit.
"Aurielle." I muttered her name.
Her gaze locked on to me in an instant. Her eyes flared bright orange, her face full of malice.
The book in her hands glowed white and her expression softened.
"Ah." she mused, "Our new sister. I was curious what special place mother would fling me to. I understand now."
"Capricorn… flung you?"
"Indeed. I was in my library one moment and soaring through the Aether the next with a message, 'Deal with it.'—I was quite surprised." Aurielle mimicked Capricorn's sing-song voice perfectly.
"Airis," Hailey's voice wavered next to me, "What's going on?"
"Capricorn was, uh, busy. So, she sent Aurielle."
Hailey nodded along quietly, shifting her eyes between me and Aurielle.
The angelic girl leaned in with a curious look, "We haven't met, yet you know my name. How?"
"Oh, I saw you in Ikuye's memories. We… I don't know what to call it really. Just saying it was a psychometric episode doesn't really explain—"
"I understand." Aurielle cut me off. "What did you need? I'd appreciate it if this was resolved quickly so I can go back to my reading."
Aurielle looked no older than a twelve year old girl but had the quirky mannerisms of an older noblewoman.
The incongruence was unsettling.
I didn't want to talk to her about the things I had meant to discuss with the Goddesses, it seemed too sensitive.
Not asking anything would be suspicious…
Ah, but there is something I could ask and then let her go.
"I wanted to ask if there was a way to reverse the deaths of my soldiers from a distance. I have RESURRECTION but I have to be close enough to touch someone. I can't be everywhere all at once and recovering bodies in the middle of battle may not be an option—"
"Imbue the magick into trinkets."
"Trinkets?" I asked cautiously.
"Indeed. Set a Discernment rune to activate upon soul detection and it will use that spell to recover them before they leave for Aver'teria. Some sort of healing spell would also be good to include in that as well, otherwise, the creatures will die from their wounds all over again."
I didn't expect to get a real answer. I was prepared for a haughty response about how taking souls from the underworld was a big deal and how much the Celestials couldn't interfere with each other.
"Was that all?"
I nodded my head and Aurielle's wings expanded once again into a fiery portal. She disappeared with a flash of light.
"Huh. I guess that went well. I'll have to ask Rias to make some runes to test that out."
"Are they all like that?" Hailey asked, finally snapping out of her daze.
"Uhm," I thought about it for a moment, "I dunno. Each one I've met had seemed like a pretty unique person. Besides Ikuye, that was the first one I met outside of the aetherial planes, though."
"She really didn't want to stick around. It was just like Tamirayth told you."
"I don't really wanna call Virgo now. What if she's also busy."
"Yeah, please don't." Hailey pleaded.
"Then I guess that's all I wanted to do today. I think I'll take a nap before we head off tonight."
"I'll… join you I think."
Our armies set off under the cover of darkness. The command tent was now a command wagon, which Tomin was operating with a handful of Aestori technicians.
Rias was assisting them for now, but she'd already joined my party and would be sticking by my side along with Akari—who was currently snoozing away in the forward half of my saddle.
"Are you excited to see Igni?" I quietly asked Hailey as she rode up beside me.
"I am. I feel more at ease with her close by. I was hesitant about bringing what is basically a newborn into a war, but she's been growing fast."
I chuckled.
"Yeah, she is. She was bigger than Mei's eagle when we split for Brookshaven. It'll be impossible to hide her now. You should prepare yourself for the questions that'll come after we push past the river crossing."
She rode in silence, seemingly in thought.
"I'll just make an announcement and tell everyone the truth. It'll be good for morale." she finally settled on an option.
It was as good as any other plan, if not the actual best option. Igni was the Flameblaze from the children's stories my mother used to read to me. We could probably say the same for most of the former Republic soldiers with us.
I don't know how the elves will see it. A lot of the knights and mages from the Stellae trended older in age, so they'd have lived at least one cycle of her rebirth.
Hopefully, they all see it as a good sign as well.
A faint crackling in my ear cued me into an incoming call from Tomin. I touched the rune near my ear to energize it fully.
"Your Majesty, Ikuye says we're coming into range of the main army. We should be coming up onto their rear in about thirty minutes."
"Thanks for the heads up, Tomin. Any news on Mei yet?"
"I'll make a call, standby."
While I waited for his response, I turned to Hailey and threw out an odd question.
"Hey, how do you feel about letting Ikuye join in the attack? I'm kinda worried she might actually attack the bridge and make things difficult."
Hailey furrowed her brow and blinked, "I think… your fears are well founded."
"Haaah," I sighed, "Maybe I can convince her to strike whatever else the Renaultians may have built around there. I'd rather not lose the watchtower, but it's better than losing the bridge."
"If everything goes to crap we have plenty of mages. It'll take much longer but we can still move the Aestori's siege weapons one at a time with earth magick."
"Sara is convinced we'd lose a few of them after she was told how strong the river's currents are. We don't have enough as it is. I'll figure something out with Ikuye."
"Maybe she'll just stay with Tomin if you ask her to."
Hailey's suggestion sounded silly at first, but the more I thought about it the less it seemed like an impossibility.
Spending time with the one other human she seemed to take a liking to or charging into a melee to sate her ever-increasing blood-lust.
It wouldn't hurt to present the option.
"You Majesty." Tomin's voice chimed in over the still-open communications channel.
"Go ahead, Tomin."
"Mei's whereabouts are still unknown, but the rest of her division was picked up en route to their attack target. All imperial soldiers were accounted for except Mei's team. They also had a few hundred civilians that were rescued from the enemy. It appears they met Renaultian resistance immediately upon reaching their planned outpost site and stashed the communications equipment. Mei's party continued on to Elyssia to complete their mission."
Relief hit me like a windstorm. A tightness in my chest I hadn't even realized was there eased up.
I filled Hailey in on the good news and asked Tomin to negotiate with Ikuye for me.
He was less than thrilled at the proposal.
But I knew he understood why it was necessary.
Things are looking up, Airis. Just a few minutes we'll be back with Julius and most everyone else.
-✵-
We united with the main forces under Julius' and Aisling's command a minute later than Ikuye had predicted—not because her senses were off, but because Hailey had our group slow pace and wait for a scouting party of sentinels to make contact with them first.
I was beginning to think that maybe putting me in charge of things was a bad idea as my brain was wired closer to Ikuye's. I shuddered at the thought of my friends labeling me as a battle-junkie.
The thought didn't stick around long as I was soon involved in the finer details of our assault, only hours away.
My entire war council, sans Hanna and Luke, were now crowded around me in a single wagon while the army continued marching.
Lady Sara had taken the floor, so to speak, and was presenting an amendment to Julius' plans.
"With just myself, Princess Rias, and Lady Ikuye, we can take the outpost beyond the bridge. The Crimson Seekers will engage the garrisoned forces as planned, but before our forces engage. The enemy will be alarmed and should remain focused on their rear defenses. We'll slip across while it's still dark."
Julius stared down at the maps prepared by the scouts, "Let's assume that's correct, what stops the Seekers from taking heavy casualties? Are you confident with just the three of you, you'd be able to wipe them out before things get out of hand?"
"With the addition of Grand-Waystrider Mei's forces and the influx of bodies from rescued prisoners, their division will appear to outnumber the Renaultians—assuming their numbers are correct on the latest reports."
"We're not sending civilians into battle. They're malnourished and barely holding it together from the long march out of Elyssian territory."
"I don't expect them to fight," Lady Sara countered, "Nor do I want them to. All they have to do is hold torches and appear to be part of the division. They'll be a deterrent to keep the enemy in their camp, packed nice and tight for us to bombard them straight to Aver'teria."
"Everyone stop." I commanded, "What is this? Are we negotiating now?"
I was confused on what was happening. For weeks we tirelessly planned the assault on the crossing.
Now we were just going to improvise because a handful of spellcasters thought they'd be able to take the whole thing by themselves?
The two people I expressly didn't want participating, my little sister and the combat-crazed celestial warrior, were way too excited by this proposal. That was enough of a red flag for me.
"Sara, I know you've been helping Rias control her magicks but I'm not comfortable with her being a key piece in a 'bring hellfire down on the enemies' campaign."
"Sis, I—" Rias started, but I cut her off with a glare.
"You were supposed to be sticking with Akari in the rear camp. That was the deal we made before leaving Tolin."
"I'm just as invested in this war as you are though!"
The muscles in my neck twitched and my forehead was beginning to throb.
"Haah," I sighed, "I know you are. You've been a great help, truly. But you're still my kid sister. I'm hardly prepared for a war, let alone a seventeen year old girl."
"Your Majesty," Lady Sara interjected, "If I may. While I understand your concerns, this is our best option to take the bridge with little to no casualties."
"And if one of those casualties is my sister?" I snapped.
"I can assure you I will be placing my strongest barrier spells upon the Princess, no harm will come to her."
I hated everything about this plan except for the very clear fact it would reduce possible injuries. Our original plan was to show up in force at first light and draw their attention across the bridge, letting Hanna and Luke's forces sneak in and dispatch their command structure.
That would leave us open to ranged attacks and whatever traps the Renaultians have employed.
"Aisling." I called, prompting the elven Matriarch to jolt up in attention.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"What are the projections for Delta-One? You all have more current numbers than I do."
She shuffled through a small packet of papers, handed me one of them, and kept one for herself.
"We expect a defensive force of about a thousand, possibly fewer if Mei was successful in her mission and aid was sent away from the bridge garrison."
I glanced over the page she gave me. It listed out a few static locations and their estimated occupants based on what the sentinels had seen.
Two hundred of the estimated troops were a cavalry brigade stationed a few miles away in a farming village, but Hanna's SI-Martia operatives believed they'd absolutely be reinforcements as the watchtower had flare cannons mounted to the roof.
The tower complex itself had two hundred gendarmes, with another four hundred in an old warehouse, now a barracks annex, nestled in the hills.
Another two hundred were in a temporary camp that was scouted a week ago. None of our intelligence was able to confirm if they were still there or if their numbers had increased.
Most of the page was records of supplies and equipment estimates the scouts made.
"And the injury projections?"
Aisling turned her page over, so I did the same.
Ah, double-sided. Makes sense.
"The bridge acts as a choke-point and we only have about half of the Aestori knights with us. Even with our more advanced magicks and superior equipment, we've estimated some two hundred injured and possibly a hundred deaths."
I winced.
We knew there would be a price to pay in taking Axio, but it felt wrong that one hundred elven knights would die just to take a single bridge.
The idea that just three magickians could wipe out a thousand soldiers also felt wrong, but in a different way.
My stomach was in knots.
What in the Aether was I going to do when we actually get to Axio and those projection reports began listing injuries in the thousands?
"I know there isn't the time to wait, but when will the Second and Third Aestori Divisionals arrive?"
Julius fielded my question, "Ideally, we all would have been united in two days. But with all forward divisions being ready early and us capitalizing on that—"
"So, two days?"
"Unless they make good time as well, yes."
"Having another five thousand knights wouldn't change the projections at all, would it… Fuck. Fine. I give my blessing on this plan. It makes sense on the Seeker side and it cuts injuries and deaths down on our side. I'm not happy that Rias is in harm's way. Sara, I want to be able to feel the defensive magick on my sister from a hundred feet away."